A TIMELESS children's book about unsuitable pets served as inspiration for a fun-filled nursery day.

Children at Willow Tree Nursery, in Clacton, celebrated the 35th birthday of Rod Campbell's Dear Zoo for its third open day.

Story sessions themed around the author's popular books toyed with youngster's imaginations while the nursery stepped into the wild with vivid displays and zoo animals in each room - including on top of some children's heads.

But the real highlight was a visit from an adult Corn Snake, kindly brought in by a parent for show-and-tell.

Nursery owner Brenda Farquhar said: "Most of the the children liked the snake - it was more so the staff who weren't so keen, but it stayed in its glass cage.

"This is the third open day we've held in the last few years.

What prompted this one was to attract new parents as we're filling up ready for our September intake, but also to inform people of the changes in free childcare entitlement."